Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with broader problems beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
